Linda Elizabeth Ensign

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we mourn the passing of Linda Elizabeth Ensign who after years of many hard-fought battles lost her war against cancer on Thursday May 13th, 2021 at the age of 58. Wife, mother, grandmother, best friend, and no combination of words could begin to quantify who she was and meant to us. Linda was born in Durban, South Africa on December 3rd, 1962 to parents David Schalk Janse Van Vuuren and June Anaid Nicholas. She was a pioneer in a field typically dominated by men, she forged her way from secretary to computer programmer, called upon to solve problems that wrinkled most brains. In 1997, her work led to her continued adventure in America; where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, then received her Master of Science in Education, Learning Design and Technology from Purdue University and continued to become a PhD Candidate at George Mason University, researching Educational Psychology. She is survived by James Ensign, her husband and best friend who fought alongside her every step of the way; they lived, traveled, and loved together for 16 years. Her brother Mervyn (Heather) Janse Van Vuuren fondly remembers Linda as a little troublemaker, and he recalls always being left holding the proverbial bag. Her children, Bryan (Madalain) Mackenzie, Russell (Katie) Mackenzie and Robyn Mackenzie will forever remember her dedication to provide a life of storied adventures from sea scouting to playing hookie with impromptu beach days. Linda was a loving grandmother to seven and recently became a great grandmother. She welcomed a bonus family of five children; Allison Sweeney, Amber (Kevin) Budny, Anjela Ensign, James Ensign, John-Paul Ensign; and lovingly embraced six grandchildren and one great grandchild. Linda will also be missed by many relatives and longtime friends. Linda pursued countless creative avenues from stamping beautiful cards to scrapbooking countless family adventures and crafting and designing her own jewelry and clothing line MacKids. She was an inspiration and a truly diverse beautiful human. In her down time, she could be found forging headlong into the digital realms where she pursued untold wealth and waged war across post-apocalyptic wastelands, but most of all writing was a true passion and she held a special place in her heart for her writing group; a circle of friends who shared her affinity for the craft along with her love of great murder mysteries. In her battle we saw true strength, of will, of character and of determination; she was our beacon of light that will shine in our hearts forever. A memorial for Linda Elizabeth Ensign will be held on June 1st, 2021 from 3pm to 5pm at Max Sass & Sons Funeral home located on 1314 Manitoba Ave, South Milwaukee, WI 53172 followed by a celebration of her life from 6pm to 9pm at Sheridan's B&B located at 5133 S Lake Dr, Cudahy, WI 53110.